Throttled outlet separator



Oct. 27 1925. 1,559,115

W. M. MARKER Er AL THROTTLED OUTLET sEPARA'ron Filed -July 5. 192.2`

Inf I,

MWRNEYS.

- 4ducing the tendency lduced within the oil -tubing which Patented oa. 27,1925.

UNITED STATES'QPATENT OFFICE;

WILLIAM u. MAEXEE AND WILLIAM a. ALLEN, 0E VENTURA, cALI'EoENIA.

'rHEo'rrLED OUTLET s'EPAnAToE.

Appncauon ined my 5, 192s. serial No. 572,924.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, WILLIAM M. MARKER and WILLIAM R. ALLEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Ventura, vin the county of Ventura, State of California, have invented `a new and useful Throttled Outlet Separator, of which the following is a specification.

' Our invention relates to the operation of oil'wells and particularly to a device for.

preventing. emulsication of the oil andA water which flows from such wells.

The natural petroleum oils as they flow vfrom the well have a tendency to emulsify with the water contained therein when the flow of oil is placed under high velocities or agitated.`- vConsiderable difficulty is`experienced in separating the water which has combined' withthe oil in the form of an emulsion, and various devices are employed for breaking down such emulsions. We have found that where the iiow from a prowell is maintained at a low velocity, towards emulsiication is not eatly pronounced, a d that by introducing the oil well iow into a suitable chamber at low velocity, a stratification of the oil, gas, and water may these different elements drawn separately from the chamber, the difficulties due toemulsiication thus being avoided.`

The'iow from oil wells is generally very irregular due to the presence of gas under l high pressure within the well which causes the oil to be produced in heads, and unless means are provided, for restraining the flow of oil from wells, high velocities are prosands and the well oft-en cause emulsiication before the product has reached the surface.

We therefore nd it desirable to maintain a reacting pressure upon the well, by the/use of iow restricting orifices, which will restrain the output to an even iow ;v and to introduce the water, oil, and-gas, constituting the output, into Va stratfying chamber under pressure and at low velocity; and to separate the-water from the oil and gas before releasing the products 'from the internal pressure, whichis accomplished by discharging them through separate orifices into suitable receptacles provided therefor. Thus the water is allowed to escape through one channel andthe oil and gas to escape through another channelwithout the formabe accomplished and l ication chamber.

l30, 31, 32 respectively,

tion of emulsion which would occur if the oil, gas, and water were to be discharged together through the flow restricting orifices before their-separation. f

It is the principal object of our invention to provide an apparatus for preventing the emulsification of the water and oil by v separating the water by gravity from the oil while it is maintained at a low velocity and from which device the oil and water ma be discharged through se arate ori ces, and to thus solve one of the diicult problems encountered in the-production of oil, viz: the reduction of emulsions.

In the drawing which is of an entirely diagrammatic nature and -for illustrative purposes only, is shown a horizontal pipe 1l constituting a stratification chamber 10.

The product from a flowing well may be introduced into the stratification chamber 10 through an inlet pipe 12, whereupon the stratiication thereof is accomplished as the gas velocity and under pressure within the chamber 10.

In the bottom ,of the pipe 11 a sand trap 13 provided fwitha valved outlet 14 is placed, this sand trap being placed near the inlet l2 so that whatever sand and sediment there is contained in the flow from the well may settle directly thereinto and not 'ne spread out .along the bottom of the pipe ll.

In order to reduce the amount of fluid which must flow through the length of the pipe 11, a gas dome 16 is provided into which gas may separate from the oil and water. From the top of the dome 16 a pipe 17 leads'into the top of abovethe pipe 11 and connected thereto by risers 19, leading upwardly from the strati- Below the pipe- 11 is a. water header 21 which connects with the stratification chamber through risers 22.

These headers 18 and 21 are preferably inclined as shown and with pipe 11 are connectedinto a standpipe 24 which has a sediment outlet 25 situated in the bottom there# of; The product from the well upon entering through the inlet 12 enters the stratification .chamber and owing forwardly therein disposes itself by gravity in the strata of water, oil and gas whichare designated as the oill rising. into the'rsers 19, and the the vheader 18 lthrough the risers 22 into the water passing through oil and water flows forwardly at low an oil and gas header' 18 situated'` header 21 while'the gas rises in the dome 16 and passes out of said dome through pipe 17 into the top of the header 18.- Connected into the standpipe 24 at a position near the bottom thereof so as to tap the lwater strata is a water discharge header 35 which has a. pressure equalizin pipe 36 con-K necting between the outer en thereof and the top of the standpige 24. Owing to the wei ht of the oil 31 w ich is supported upon t e water within the stratification cham-` ber, the risers 19, `and the standpipe 24, the water'assumes a level 37 Within the equalizing pipe 36, this level being slightly lower than the oil level owing to the density of the water being greater than that of the oil.

Extending from the upper part of the standpipc 24 are a number of. outlet pipes v40'having valves 41 and 42 placed therein `and fiow restricting orifices 43 disposed therein between the valves 41 and 42. These outlets 40 lead into an oil and gas discharge manifold 45 which has connection with one of the standard oil and gas se arators which vare in common use in the oil elds.

Extendi upwardly from the water discharge hea er 35 are a series of water outlets which connect to a water outlet manvalves 52 and' 53 and have situated thereinl flow restricting orifices 54. It. will be perrceived that the header 35 is situated at an :'angle. This is donc to provide agreater number of outlets 50 for a given vertical rise and thus a finer graduation of the water flow restricting orifices? l The pipe 11 forming the main stratification chamber is proportioned according to the normal flow of the well and although it is shown as one continuous member, it is possible to form same of several pipes disposed in rectangular formation. In the operation of this device a sufiicient number of outlets 40 to accommodate the fiow of oil and gas are brought into usage by opening the valves 4l and 42 in the necessary outlets, and likewise the water content of the production of the oil well is accommodated by opening valves 52 and 53, thus permitting a fiow of water through certain of the orifices 54. The orifices thus provided Tev strain the flow from the separator and thus detlrrmine the velocity of the flow of the we By restricting the fiow from the stratification chamber as Wedo by the employment of flow restricting orifices, it-is possible to maintain a pressure-within the well and the separator which will 'keep the velocity of the fiow considerably below that at which emulsification would take place.

We claim as our invention:

1 In a separator of the class described, the combination of: a substantially hori- Azontal pipe into which themixture is fed;

`the vertical axial plane of said first pipe;

a gas dome at the forward end of said pipe; a second pipe coextensivewith the rearward end of said first pipe; a gas pressure equalizing pipe extending between said gas dome and said second means extendin between said pipes at suitable intervals w ereby communication is established between said first pipe and said second pipe so as to forma stratification chamber of increased volume but having physical vstrength equal to that of the first pipe.

2. In a separator of the class described, the combination of: a substantially horizontal pipe into which a gas dome at the forward end of said pipe; secondary pipes coextensive with the rearward end of said first pipe in substantially the vertical axial plane of said first pi can.

ing physical strength equal to that of the ifold 51. The outlets 50 are provided with 'fi rst pipe; a vertical standpipe forming a header connected across the ends of said pipes; and' regulatable flow controllin vmeans for discharge of fiuids from the various levels of said header.

3. 1n a separator of the class described, the combination of: a substantially horizontal pipe into which the mixture is fed; a gas dome at the forward end of said pipe; secondary pipes coextensive with the rearward end of said first pipe in substantially a gas pressure equalizing pipe extending between said gas dome and the uppermost of said secondary pipes; tubular means extending between said pipes at suitable intervals whereby communication is established between said first pipe and said secondary pipes so as to form a stratification chamber of increased volume but having physical strength equal to that ofthe first pipe; a vertical standpipe forming a header connected across the ends of said pipes; and regulatable flow controlling means for discharge of fluids from the various levels of said header, each of said means consisting of a group of orifice members and valve means communicatin with each of said orifice members Where y each of saidorifice members may be independently put in. or cut from service.

4. In a separator ofv theclass described, the combination of: a substantially horii zontal pipe into which the mixture is fed; a -sand trap at the forward end of said pipe;

pipe; and tubular the mixture is fed;

end of said rst pip'e; a gas pressure equalzing pi extending between'said gas dome and sai second pipe' and tubular means extending between sai pipes at suitable intervals whereby communication; is established between said first pipe and\ sa1d second pipe so as to but having physical strength equal to that of the first PIPe- In a separator of the class described, the combination of: a substantially horizontal pipe into which'the mixture 'is fed; a sand trap at the forward end of said pipe; a gas dome at the forward end of said pipe; secondary pi v rearward end of said first pipe in substantially the vertical -axial plane of said first pipe; a gas pressure equalizingpipe exform a stratiication `tion chamber of chamber of increased volume,

.trolli coextensive with the able intervals whereby communrcation 1s established between said irst pipe and said secondary pipes so as-to form a stratifica- -increased volume, but having physical strength equal 'to that of the iirstkpipe; a vertical standpipe forming a header fconnected across the ends of said pipes am\havingz a sediment outlet in the bottom thereof; and regulatable flow conmeans'for discharge of fluids from the various vlevelspf said header.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands at Ventura, California, this 28th day of June, 1922. l

, l WILLIAM M. MARKER.

WlLLAM R. ALLEN. 

